Much is made of the way that social media makes it easier to connect with friends and family you don’t see often. There’s a reason that Facebook’s tagline is the somewhat emotive: ‘...helps you connect and share with the people in your life’. Proponents of digital communications platforms say that accessibility and human-centred design means [...]
There are three types of insurance you can hold inside super: life, total and permanent disability (TPD) and income protection insurance. Many super funds automatically insure their members and will provide a (relatively small) payout if, for example, they die or suffer a debilitating accident. But the level of default cover is likely to fall [...]
Most of the top 200 ASX-listed companies have now announced their results for the 2017 financial year and the overall report card is good. According to CommSec, 90 per cent of companies reporting full-year results turned a profit while 91 per cent paid a dividend. Earnings were up a combined 67 per cent on [...]
Housing affordability continues to be a major concern in Australia and not just for would-be first home buyers. It also affects pre-retirees forced to work longer to repay bigger mortgages and older Australians unable to downsize from large family homes due to a lack of affordable options. The latest 2016 Census revealed a gradual decline [...]
It seems as though every year, as people gear up for tax time, there’s a new type of fraud or cyber attack that crops up. Scammers apparently just love taking advantage of how busy people are, and how badly people want to do the right thing when it comes to dealing with government authorities like [...]
Trauma insurance is the middle child of the personal insurance family. It’s overshadowed by its better-known siblings but it’s a quiet achiever that will do the heavy lifting when the circumstances require it. Trauma insurance – sometimes known as critical illness insurance – provides a lump sum payment in the event of a major illness [...]
Treasurer Scott Morrison’s first budget of the Coalition’s second term in office marked a significant shift in tone from the tough stance of its three previous budgets. The centrepiece of the budget is the use of ‘good debt’ to fund $75 billion worth of infrastructure projects to create jobs and promote economic growth. To achieve [...]
As life changes, so should your Insurance Your insurance needs will vary at different stages of your life. So it’s sensible to get into the habit of reviewing your insurance cover annually or, at the very least, whenever major events, such as the following, occur. You welcome or farewell a child. Kids are expensive, something [...]
On 14/12/2016, The Minister for Revenue and Financial Services announced a taskforce into the Black Economy. While there is no single, internationally-agreed definition, typically, the black economy refers to people who operate entirely outside the tax system or who are known to tax authorities but deliberately misreport their tax (and superannuation) obligations. The black economy [...]
Changes to the pension assets test that came into force on January 1 have resulted in some retirees losing some, or all, of their pension entitlements. The big question now is whether the tighter assets test will encourage people to change the way they plan and behave in the years leading up to retirement to [...]
